We're working on a true next-gen gamebook experience, that will be different from the digital gamebooks that you can find on the App Store.

The game is based on the Lone Wolf license, the most renowned series of gamebooks of the '80s and '90s, so we decided to stay faithful to that keeping the book format.

The book section, though, is going to be enhanced, non only with beautiful animated illustrations...

... but also with the a revised multiple choice system ...

... that can lead to different kind of activities, like QTEs and other interactions ...

The book part will be playable both in portrait and landscape (but it will be locked in portrait for the iPhone version) ...

There's a lot more in the book section, like RPG elements, the character sheet and the map of the world, and we will unveil many other details in the future.

The other part of the game is the combat mode.
As you can see it's in full 3D, with beautiful environments and AAA assets also for the main characters and the monsters.

The combat system is hybrid so you have a time slice to perform your actions and your turn can be overlapped with the enemies one. That's why dodge and parry will be really important moves ...

... as you saw form the TA Plays video, the UI is very streamlined as you can touch the weapons equipped by Lone Wolf to unleash the various abilities. Each of them consume your endurance points (green bar) and you should keep some of them for the passive abilities that are triggered when it's not your turn.

Your Kai Power (blue bar) will enable different magic abilities and also the use of the Sun Sword, the signature weapon of Lone Wolf (actually it's real name is Sommerswerd!). In the TA Plays video you saw the telekinekis (Mind Over Matter, in the Lone Wolf lore) but other Kai Powers will be included in the full game ...

This is only an overview of the features.
We're working super hard to create the best next-gen gamebook experience possibile and we can't wait to show you more.

You can also check the official site and the Facebook page of the game:

On Facebook we are conducting an experiment called Social Reading Experience

Every week we publish one or more sections of Flight from the Dark, the first original gamebook of the Lone Wolf series, so that we can play through the story together. Every time the book asks for a choice, we publish a poll to make the decision. We check and pick the option that get the most votes, publishing the corresponding section to advance the story.

You can join in whenever you want and contribute to Lone Wolf’s progress through the story, so check the Facebook page if you want to participate (you can find the rules in an old post)!

Here's also some additional details, based on the answers that we received so far:

Q: Is it an old story?
A: No, the story is absolutely new and written by Joe Dever. It is set between book 3 and book 4 of the original series and we will talk about it in the upcoming weeks.

Q: Is it universal/iPhone version?
A: The build runs nicely also on the iPhone and the only difference is that the book section will be locked in portrait mode due to readability reasons.

Q: Hardware requirements?
A: The game is compatible with iPad 2 and up, iPad mini, iPod Touch 5 and up and iPhone 4S and up. Unfortunately iPad 1 is excluded.

Q: As Lone Wolf progresses, does he have the ability to chain more moves together?
A: There are specific combat techniques for each weapon that Lone Wolf wields. Some correspond to a single blow, while others chain more together. If Lone Wolf focuses on a specific weapon and its techniques, they will improve.

Q: it would be cool to be able the target enemy body parts.
A: Our combat system is hybrid: it’s turn based, but there’s a time limit to deal with when you attack. Therefore, we have decided to keep the target management tied to the single enemy as a whole, considering that there can be up to three on screen at the same time.

Q: The huge sword strapped to Lone Wolf's back. Is it used for boss battles or a special attacks?
The huge sword is actually the Sommerswerd / Sun Sword! It features very powerful and spectacular attacks, but they tend to cost a lot in terms of resources -and they can’t just be launched over and over again. The Sommerswerd can turn the tide of a battle, but you’ll have to be very careful about when and how to unleash its great power.

Q: Can Lone Wolf duel wield?
Definitely! The shield is just one of the options you’ll have when you define your fighting style. Obviously, dual-wielding will let you inflict higher damage, but it will also leave you more exposed when the enemies strike at you.

Q: Any achievement to unlock?
Achievements are included in the game, along with an extended Codex that covers many topics like monsters, famous characters, story and culture of the Magnamund, the universe of Lone Wolf.

@ Alessandro - Where did you get the art direction from? It feels very close to Valkyria Chronicles on PS3. Especially during the transition to the battle scene where it goes from a black & white pencil sketch look to a watercolor fill reminds me of the intro movie to VC.

For the art direction we have to thank Alessandro Bragalini, our art director and 2D artist. He is very talented and he's trying to find a brand new style for the Lone Wolf game.

About the transition from book to combat, I don't know if he took inspiration from Valkyria Chronicles (I'm a big fan of that game but I haven't played the sequel on PSP yet). If you're interested I can definitely ask him and post his answer.

This looks so promising, I just hope it doesn't end up being too short. It almost seems like too ambitious an idea, which just means I'll be even more impressed if it's done right.

Will it support full retina displays on iPad? Also, any word on how many different 3D environments you're aiming for? I'm fine with JRPGs and similar turn-based games using the same area for multiple battles, but I'd like a nice variety over the course of the whole book.

For the art direction we have to thank Alessandro Bragalini, our art director and 2D artist. He is very talented and he's trying to find a brand new style for the Lone Wolf game.

About the transition from book to combat, I don't know if he took inspiration from Valkyria Chronicles (I'm a big fan of that game but I haven't played the sequel on PSP yet). If you're interested I can definitely ask him and post his answer.

Might be interesting to know (maybe he did it subconsciously ) but not a huge deal. I think it worked wonderfully in VC and it fits the style of a book narrative/live action very well. I was definitely impressed with the gameplay footage and like the idea of a far deeper gamebook experience than what is currently available.

P.S. You can have my UMD of VC2 for all I care. Typical Shin Megami Tensei-esque Japanese high school/dorm story and battlefields smaller than a public restroom . No thanks.

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